28 July 2012

Love's Bright Star - Virginnia de PARTÉ

There’s an element of futuristic science fiction within the
text, (set in 2079) which establishes the drama and action – some characters are the
offspring of trialled melding of human and animal genes, and have the animal
characteristics to some degree or other, under some degree of control or other.
They are referred to as “g-altered”. In this world, g-altered people are
regarded as freaks, yet by some creeps as desirable as a sexual conquest. Defence
Department authorities are interested of course in locating them all and “studying”
them for possible military or espionage use.

The heroine (Siobhan) is a photographer by career, and of
cat/human descent, complete with a cat’s natural defences – fangs and claws –
and features like the third eyelid. As all g-alters must, she strives to keep
control of her altered traits. She is rescued from showing her cat defences by another
g-alter person - James - a man whose genetic modification allows him to stop
time for his own purposes. In his ordinary career he lectures in physics and
fourth dimensional mathematics. Relax; as a reader you won’t be expected to
attend a lecture – just to suspend disbelief.

As the novel passes beyond the point of their meeting, some
of the Siobhan’s more amusing characteristics of a cat g-altered woman are
revealed – delightfully freaky and you can read for yourself!

The author has a way of showing the increasing emotional
arousal of Siobhan as she gets to know James more, without being too obvious - and
nicely done too. But Siobhan develops a
yearning of her own – one which, she knows, would make James unhappy – angry even.
She keeps the idea to itself, even after she has caused it to happen.

On realising what she has done, James departs in fury,
leaving Siobhan and her friend Anna to create a cover story to keep Siobhan’s
secret. She has tricked James into creating a next generation – and increased their
danger from the Defence Department.

During what should have been a routine pregnancy scan, the
foetus momentarily disappears. This event causes further complications for
Siobhan with agents from the Defence Department.James in the meantime makes plans for a safe future for
Siobhan, Stella their daughter and himself .

Through frights, surprises, unpleasant encounters, the story
closes in on a beautifully satisfying dénouement. Not usually a fan of the
genre, I expect Virginnia de Parté to
produce more of this quality.